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I originally got addicted to subscription boxes through beauty boxes, but I think I love accessories and jewelry boxes even more. As much as makeup can really improve the way your face looks, jewelry can do the same for the outfit. Your Bijoux Box is $35 per month and offers 2-3 pieces per box. If you use the code SPARKLES with your order, you can also get a free bonus piece. I ended up with 4 pieces and I love all of them.

Here’s the first look at my box:

I love how beautifully wrapped it is and also the color of the tissue paper! There’s also a little card explaining each of the pieces:

My favorite piece is the Tortoise Fitzgerald Collar. The chain is really sturdy and it feels well made. The color is also really cute. I’ve worn this a few times already since receiving my box.

There’s also similar earrings:

I haven’t worn the earrings yet, even though I suppose I could wear them with the necklace. Both pieces are really fun and totally my style.

I saw the Snow Flower necklace spoiler on Instagram, but oh my gosh it’s so darling in person:

I have a bunch of similar necklaces, but nothing in this color. This also feels really sturdy and well made which is really important to me. I hate having jewelry that I fall in love with that breaks after a few wears. I think these pieces will last me awhile.

My bonus piece was this gold long necklace:

I do have something pretty similar to this already, but I still really like it. This is a great every day necklace that matches everything in my closet.

This was my first Bijoux Box and overall, I’m extremely impressed. If I compare this box versus Wantable, my other accessories box for the month, this one wins hands down. The quality seems a lot sturdier and I love that Your Bijoux Box seems to have more WOW pieces.

If you want to sign up for Your Bijoux Box, visit: http://www.yourbijouxbox.com/ make sure to use the code SPARKLES for a free bonus piece!

I don’t remember how I discovered Hazel Lane, but I think it had something to do with searching #subscriptionbox on Instagram. I’m on the hunt for a unique monthly box and I think I may have found that in Hazel Lane. Each month they pick a different city and choose different products that represent that city. They offer 4 different City Explorer subscription boxes: Large City Explorer ($99.99/month), City Explorer Deluxe ($59.99/month) City Explorer ($39.99/month) and the Mini City Explorer ($19.99/month) They also offer men’s boxes, children’s boxes and a specialty box.

I ordered the Mini City Explorer which was $19.99 + $5 shipping for a total of $24.99. This month’s theme was San Francisco. Anyone in the Midwest this week needs a little escape to the West Coast. Don’t believe me? Here’s why:

(this is me trying to climb to the top of the snow bank outside of my apartment. If you can’t tell, the snow bank is higher than the cars behind it)

Yeah.. I was hoping for some bottled warmth or sunshine. Not sure how they could have made that possible, BUT they did manage to warm my heart with their hand written note:

And my feet with these superb Argoz socks:

I absolutely love all things argyle, especially socks. These are extremely warm and soft. They will get a lot of use this winter. ($18 retail value)

Next up was a product that I’ve heard of. In my hunt for eating non-processed foods and eating as natural as possible, I discovered Krave beef jerky. It’s been on my Amazon Wish list for about a year, but I’ve never actually ordered it.

We ripped this open in preparation for my blog — because how can I write about a food product if I didn’t taste it — and sadly, this is now all gone. It is THAT freaking good. Chili Lime sounded a little strange to me, but the taste was perfect. I’m going to be ordering some of this later in the week, so thank you Hazel Lane for letting me try this before buying! (retail value $3.49)

Whenever we travel, we go to the souvenir shops to pick up stuff for family because they’re into the kitschy t-shirts and magnets. As for me, I’d rather pick up a local product to remind me of my trip, rather than it be such a blatant statement. After all, how many city t-shirts can you have taking up drawer space? This Noteify notebook is the perfect souvenir I would pick out for myself:

I’m really digging it. It’s also the perfect size to throw in my purse without it getting in the way. ($8.00 retail value)

And I saved the best for last:

Philz Coffee – Tesora coffee sample. From their website: “Seven years in the making and the first blend to ever be created, the Tesora is a treasure that consists of the most valuable and complex jewels of coffee. If it is your first time visiting Philz coffee, we highly recommend you order our Tesora blend. Tesora, A grand representation of our coffee and the way coffee should taste!”

This is delicious and puts all other store-bought coffee to shame. I love coffee but I normally have to douse it with cream. in order to consider it drinkable. This one doesn’t require that. It’s amazing as is. (I can’t find the same size sample for a price estimate, but I would say around $5)

Hazel Lane is a pretty new subscription box and I think they did a great job! The only thing that I would suggest as an improvement for the future is to include a card why each of the products were chosen or even a background on the company. I love reading these and they get me even more pumped about the products.

What did you think of this month’s box? As an aside, I tried a new photography trick that a friend found on Pinterest and I love how it turned out. I was going to include a tutorial on the bottom of this post, but to save it from being too long and off-topic, I will post about it tomorrow!

I just found this awesome PopSugar Must Have (referral link) promo code last night that I wanted to share:

This promo would make each box $27 (plus tax) instead of $39.95! It only says “for a limited time” so I’m not quite sure how long this will last.

I’ve received two PopSugar Must Have boxes so far and loved both of them, but December’s box wasn’t so well loved by the universe. I think this is their way of trying to make it right.

Are you going to give them a try?

Edit 1/3/13: I bought my 3-box subscription today with the 3FOR2 code and it still worked! If you’re still wanting to try this and the 3FOR2 code doesn’t work for you, a new code was posted today of NEWYEAR and it takes off $30 for a 3-month subscription. It should come out to the same price as the 3FOR2 code.

I feel like subscription boxes are a sick disease. Once you get one, you want all of them and you want all of them every month. Curse the day I ever started one! I’ve tried quite a few of them, but instead of sticking with the same one every month, I usually like to mix it up and try a few of them. I have a love/hate relationship with all of the different boxes because for the price point, I figure I can usually pick out better stuff for myself.

So without further ado, the December box.

This is the description card that comes with each box. It gives you information about every item, and also gives you the website in case you love the items so much you have to buy them. I usually just throw this to the side and hardly read it, so I can start ripping into the box.

My yorkie, Owen, was immediately on the scene to help me investigate the box. I’m guilty of peeping the spoilers so I knew what was coming. I was already prepared for my little furry friend to try and eat it.

The first item I took out of my box just so happened to be my absolute favorite item and the one item I completely forgot about. YAY! This BaubleBar necklace was for new subscribers that entered the promo code at checkout.

Let me be honest with you. I’d read the spoilers for this box on makeuptalk.com and was severely disappointed when I saw the pictures of the boxes that everyone received. I didn’t think it was worth the money and I knew I could have gone to Target and picked out something better with the money. However, after getting the BaubleBar necklace, my tune has changed and I’m happy with the box. BaubleBar is a great company that has awesome quality jewelry. I’m super happy about this and it’s my official Christmas present to myself!

The Lulu Frost bracelet is valued at $110. I’ve never spent that much on a bracelet before and I don’t think I would anytime soon. I still love the bracelet and can’t wait to rock it with my new necklace, but the $110 price tag seems high to me.

You can tell from my previous pictures with wrapped presents as props, that I’m a huge fan of wrapping paper and Christmas altogether. This will get used up right away.

I happen to be the worst nail painter alive. My left hand always looks amazing but the right hand looks like a hot mess. Nail wraps are God’s great invention to bad nail painters like me! They are super easy to apply and they last for just as long as a coat of nail polish would. I have a few sets of nail wraps around the house though, so I wasn’t too enthused, but I can’t deny that the red color will be great for the holidays.

I always buy my mom Ghiradelli chocolate for Christmas, so this will save me a trip to the store. I would have loved to try something different or unique though. This was the item that received the most complaints though since it’s widely available in stores. I can’t say I disagree. I love these subscription boxes to try out new companies or places I never heard of. (Maybe I’m just going light on them because I’m still freaking out about my new BaubleBar necklace?)

I have braces so caramel corn is out for me for at least another year. However, I’m in the process of making a food and wine basket for my mother in-law, so this gift goes perfect. The basket isn’t done yet, since I still have a lot more to buy, but this is how I’ll be gifting it. I also think it’s freaking awesome that my initials are CC and this says “CC made” My in-laws will think I made it and personalized the label, although they know I’m not that crafty.

I was originally pretty excited about these since I thought it would go with my food and wine gift, but they’re plastic and not aligning with the classy theme I’m aiming for. I’ll probably save them for when I’m too lazy to do dishes and need something quick.

Ipsy is my all-time favorite sub box that I NEVER cancel. So I have tons and tons of makeup–in fact, I recently got two mascaras from them. Even though this looks a lot nicer than the samples I’ve received, I’m still not that ecstatic on this.

The winners in my book: the necklace + bracelet. I’m the accessory queen and I can never get enough! Thank you PopSugar and BaubleBar for making my week awesome.

This box had a value of $180 and I paid $42. Did I get my money’s worth? Yes. Would I purchase half the stuff in here? Probably not. I’m calling it “money well spent” since I gained two gifts for family and a few keepers for myself.

If you want to sign up for PopSugar MustHave, use my referral link: http://popsu.gr/kKnt